The Holder of Lightening
by blackwolf17
Summary: A mysterious woman comes looking for Youko Kurama. Who is she? What is her connection to him and Koenma? What will she drag them into? new summary, same story
1. prologue

_Hey. Long time no see_._ I got another story for you. I hope you like this one. It's another one I've been working on for a while now. I don't know how often new chapters will be posted, but I'll try my best. Please read and review. _

Prologue

It was a dark night in Demon World and nothing but the demon bugs were stirring out in the woods surrounding an old Japanese-style house. It looked sturdy enough, though the numerous vines and plants climbing up the walls might have been the only things holding it up. A small dirt path lead up to the steps of the porch, and was lined with plants that looked very overgrown.

The house itself was brown, but it wasn't very visible through the twining plants. The doors to the house were nothing more than paper screens, though if you looked close enough you could see the small talismans hanging above the door providing protection. The windows held thin panes of glass held together by wood with curtains covering the inside that made it look like it was actually lived in.

Through a window in the house you could see a light turned on and a person could be seen pacing back and forth. By the silhouette, this person was a woman and she seemed troubled.

**Mother, I have to find him. I know he's out there somewhere. **She said, desperation in her voice.

**You know as well as I that he is dead. You saw for yourself what happened. You saw how he died. How could anyone survive that? **Another woman responded, her voice more cultured than that of her daughter's.

**Yes, and he wouldn't have died if I had gotten there in time. I was supposed to protect him and...I couldn't make it. **She accounted, pausing at the end to swallow a sob in her throat.

**There, there my dear Yume. You can't be expected to be perfect and protect him every waking moment of his life. **

**But that's just the point, mother. I was supposed to protect him whenever and wherever he went. That's what a Protector does. That was my job that I took on and I failed. **

**Come, come now, it's not your fault. It was that damn hunter. He wanted to distract you so he could kill your man. Now, how about you take a little break from all of this. Go take a nice vacation somewhere. I hear the mountains are nice this year. The wolf pack there welcomes shape shifters. Go have some fun and relax for a while. **

**Perhaps your right, but if he is still out there, I'm going to find him. **She says, determination giving her voice a new strength to it. She wasn't going to be some weak minded girl and just give up, she was going to find Youko Kurama, and she wasn't going to stop until she had him in her arms again. Yume knew that he was out there somewhere, even though she held his lifeless body her arms, because people like him just don't disappear, they live on for as long as their gasp on reality holds, and she knew for a fact that Youko would not have liked to die that soon and that way.

She was going to find him, even if it killed her, and that was a promise.


	2. Chapter 2

_Here's a new chapter for you. Enjoy yourselves. By the way, I own all the characters in this story except the YYH characters. Please do not use them with out asking me first. Thank you. Read and review please!_

Chapter One

It's been fifteen years since Yume made that promise, but not even a hair of evidence turned up that showed he is still alive. She is starting to think that maybe her mother was right and he really is dead and gone forever, but she made a promise and she is going to keep to it even if it kills her.

So, to see what evidence she could turn up, she's been wandering from one demon city to the next. She still has contacts all over the place from the time she was Youko's Protector, so she's been calling up on them to see what evidence they could turn up.

Now she is here, in a small, but bustling city in dark side of demon world to see if one of her contacts turned something up. She's been wandering for days now as a wolf, and all she wants now is a nice hot cup of something and nice clean sheets, but she has other priorities besides herself right now and she isn't going to shirk them for something she can do after she has a little chat with a man who lives and works down here.

Wrapped in a cloak with her enchanted leather pants and shirt on, that change with her when she shifts forms, Yume walks into a bar on the far side of town to meet her contact. With her hood pulled up and her bear feet moving swiftly across the cold, wooden floor, she comes to a booth in the far corner of the room, the light bulb over the booth burnt out long ago, shadowing it in darkness, but with her keen eyesight she can see it clearly as she slides into the booth. She rests her back against the wall at the end, now completely shadowed, letting her gold-brown eyes roam the bar, watching the various demons getting drunk, having a fight, or fondling someone. Her eyes move to the door and she sees her contact come in and move towards her booth. She knows he can't see her because of the darkness, and her mouth twitches up in a smile at the thought of giving him a scare.

Slowly he makes his way over and slides into the booth across from her and hails over a waitress to order a drink. Once she is gone, Yume speaks up, moving into the light.

**Hello, Kale. What a pleasant surprise to see you here. How's business doing?**She says, startling the man in front of her to where he nearly jumps out of his seat.

**Yume, you nearly scared me out my skin. What are you doing here? Wait don't answer that, I don't want to know. Unfortunately business isn't doing so well for me. I've been having trouble getting work ever since Koenma's spirit detectives came through here and took care of the four Saint Beasts. They were my major clients. **He says, getting over the shock fairly quickly as he starts to talk about his woes.

**Koenma has spirit detectives now? **She inquires, leaning foreward until her elbows rest on the table top and her chin rests in one hand.**Please, continue. I haven't been around these parts in a while.**

**Yeah, I heard you took a vacation for a couple years up in the far mountains. I heard it's nice up there this time of year.**

**Yes, it was nice if you like that type of thing, but I believe we were talking about those spirit detectives not my vacation.**

**We don't talk about them much around here after they took care of the Saint Beasts so easily. There are four of them, one demon, two half breeds and a human. They say the leader's really strong by the way he took care of Suzaku so quickly. The demon that got roped in to this is none other than Jaganshi, and they say the other half-breed might be the reincarnation of Youko Kurama from the way he fights. **The man recounts, his words shocking her. For fifteen years she hasn't had any luck finding anything about him, but now something has turned up. A clue, a snippet of information she can follow up on. Giddiness bubbles up in her throat threatening to spill over in joyous laughter, but she swallows it down and trains her face into a interested mask.

**Really, Youko Kurama. Interesting. Any idea where I could find these Spirit Detectives? **Yume asks, struggling to keep the giddiness out of her voice.

**I would imagine somewhere in Human World, but I'm not sure where. They don't exactly broadcast it to anyone. **

**Then, do you have any idea where the nearest portal to Spirit World is? **She asks, already starting to put pieces of a plan together to find him.

**Yeah, it's hidden somewhere in the old temple in the Dark Forest. Why? Your not thinking of sneaking into the palace records room are you? That would be just crazy. **He asks, worry in his voice as he watches her get up from the booth an adjust her cloak about her slim form.

**Love makes people do crazy things, Kale, and I must find Youko. I made a promise and I never break my promises.** **I'll be at the inn until tonight if you find anything else out. If I don't see you, goodbye Kale and good luck finding a job.** She says with a short wave and walks out of the bar.

It was nearly midnight when Yume finally gets up from her nap in one of the rooms in the inn and gets ready to pay a visit to Spirit World. She knows this is crazy, that she could be caught and sent to Spirit World prison for this for a very long time, but she doesn't care. She knows what she has to do, how to do it, and how to take someone down if they should catch her which she doesn't think they will. She has been trained by the best, the King of Thieves, Youko Kurama himself, and she wants to do him proud.

She gets up from the bed, the old springs creaking as they adjust to the shifting of her weight. Quickly she pulls on her enchanted leathers and secures a pair of enchanted sais to her waist that would also change with her if she has to. She keeps her feet bear for comfort reasons pertaining to the fact that she never liked shoes. She is just about to reach for her silver forearm band, that snaps around the first half of her arm to cover the gold markings on her wrist that look like lightening, when someone knocks on the door.

She moves swiftly to the door and opens it slowly, he right hand on one of her sais, ready if anything should happen. She hasn't gotten this far without knowing the meaning of caution. Carefully she peeks through the crack and recognizes Kale standing at the door. She exhales the breath she was holding and opens the door to welcome him in. He was standing on the other side, a small manila folder in one hand and a small smile on his face.

**Hello, Kale. What a pleasant surprise. I was just about to leave. Your not here to try and stop me again are you? **She says, narrowing her eyes at him causing his smile to disappear.

**I would never dream of it, Yume.** He says, his voice gaining a pleading tone to it.

**Relax, Kale. I know you wouldn't. **She says flashing him a smile and welcoming him in. She hears him blow out a breath of relief as he passes by her. She gently closes the door behind him and and follows him into the room to sit on the run-down bed across from the only chair in the room that he is sitting in. **Now, what is it you wanted to see me about? **She inquires, getting down to business quickly before she has to leave.

**I looked into a few things after you left, called up a few contacts and some favors and found this for you. **He says and hands her the manila folder.

**What is it? **Yume asks, opening it and starting to leaf through it.

**It's a complete layout of the Palace. **He proudly states causing her to look up at him in surprise, her mouth forming into an easy smile.

**Oh, Kale, your a doll. Thank you. I owe you for this.** She responds, real respect in her voice.

**You don't owe me a thing. **

**Oh, yes I do. **She responds and pulls out some gold coins from a pouch in her cloak and drops them into her hand. **Here, take this. I know business has been hard. Consider this as a payment for your troubles. Maybe when I have time I'll find you a nice steady job for once, OK? ** She suggests, feeling real caring for this man that she has known for a very long time.

**You'd do that? **He asks, his eyes lighting up.

**Sure. Your my friend. Why shouldn't I. Now, scram. I have work to do. **She says, walking the small distance to her door and seeing him out with a kind smile and a goodbye.

**Oh, by-the-way, how's that elemental sword treating you? I hear it packs quite a punch. **He says, moving his eyes to the gold markings on her wrist. This shocks her. She thought that no one excluding her mother knew about her acquiring the Elemental sword.

**How did you know?** Yume asks, her eyes slightly narrowing at the man in front of her.

**I'm a spy, remember. Knowing things is what I do best.** He says and gives her a wink as he walks away down the hall causing her to smile. The smile is still on her lips as she carefully memorizes the route to the records room, arranges her cloak comfortably about her shoulders, and walks out of her room and heads towards the portal to Spirit World.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey. Here's another one. I'll keep this short so you can read. Read and Review please! Enjoy!_

Chapter Two

The Dark Forest is no place for someone who is faint of heart. It is filled with all manner of mean creatures and demons that won't even think twice about taking a bite out of anyone who treads on their soil. Most people avoid the Dark Forest altogether, but Yume isn't most people. She's a fully trained warrior of the highest degree, and she isn't about to be beat by some lowly demons with big egos.

The trees in the Dark Forest are, well, dark, and that's what gives it its name, but it wasn't always like this. It seemed as though the very essence of the evil demons that took up residence in the forest has seeped into the very trees and made them evil. Personally, she liked this forest when it wasn't so dark and there wasn't so many demons wandering around. She has been living for a very, very long time and she has seen the land change from wild and magical to corrupted and evil, but she doesn't have time to think about her past right now. She has to have all of her thoughts on the world around her to prevent any egotistical demons from coming after her.

It would probably be better for her to shift into a wolf and go on from there, but with these trees and this tricky, root-strewn land, she would most likely end up with a broken paw and then she would be fodder for the demons. It is better to be agile here than to be quick. She's going to have to save that energy for when she gets to the palace.

Dodging and maneuvering around trees and bushes, she makes her way into the heart of the forest, to the Hidden Temple that once symbolized the great Earth Mother long ago, but is now in ruins. Yume quickly shifts her ears into bat ears and listened to the movements around her, caution making all of her senses alert.

It is just a few more miles to the temple when the branches above her start to rustle and she stops dead in her tracks. Slowly she reaches for her sais, swiveling her bat ears to catch any sound coming from around her. The sound of breathing comes to her ears from above her in the trees and from behind her, and she knows that she is surrounded. Silently she berates herself for not catching it sooner and slowly moves into a fighting stance.

The trees rustle again and four demons drop down and move to surround her. Her ears shift back to normal as she pulls her sais out of their sheaths. The demons all pull out some type of weapon and smirk ready for a fight.

Her eyes shift from one to the other examining them. All of them are abominations. They look like a sick cross between a man and an animal. One looks half snake with the upper half of a man but with sickly fangs and long claws. Another looks like a cross with a bear and a man, his large body burly and muscled with large canines, claws, and a furred upper body. The other is a cross between a bird and a man with the head, wings, and feet of a bird and the torso of a man. The last was the most sickening, he is a cross with a pig and a man. His body is that of a man, but his head is a pig's as is his feet. It sickened her to look at them, the way they downgraded the very animals they were connected to.

She watches them all as her hands tighten on her sais waiting to strike. They all start to close in on her slowly looking as though they thought this would be fun and that she would be an easy kill for them. Well, they were going to get the shock of their life.

Her body moves into a crouch, her sais ready to strike as they move in for the kill. The snake demon is the first to get impatient and he moves in quickly for a hit. Quick as lightening her sais flash out and she literally disarms him and decapitates him. The other demons move in quickly after that, their swords, clubs, and claws flashing, trying to get a hit on her. They manage to tear up her cloak, so that all that is left is shreds hanging from her shoulders, and slash her on the thigh and her shoulder. Again she lashes out with her lightening fast speed dodging most of their attacks and eventually felling all of her opponents.

Breathing hard, she sheaths her sais and throws the rags that were her cloak away into the bushes. She examines her wounds, and finding that they are not too serious she treks on.

After an our of moving through the treetops, Yume eventually gets to her final destination, the Hidden Temple, or as her people called it long ago, the Den of the Earth Mother. Now, though, the radiance and beauty of the place has all gone from it, but the mysteriousness of it still remains. It is covered with vines that have burrowed themselves into the very stone causing cracks to run up, down, and across the temple. The steps leading up to the gaping hole that once held two magnificently carved doors are now dilapidated and falling to ruin. Some stones stand missing most likely stolen from the temple to further some other project. The carvings that once stood proudly out front and along the walls are now worn down or stolen.

She stares dismally at the old ruin and slowly moves up the broken steps, her eyes taking in the sight of the old temple one last time before she moves onto the Spirit World and then to the Human World. She may never get to see this place again when she finds him. She moves into the interior of the temple, her eyes straying to the faded murals, vacant pedestals, and worn or damaged statues.

Her bear feet slap against the cold stone sending shivers up and down her spine. The wounds on her thigh start to throb every time her foot hits the floor. Her shoulder starts to ache, and she puts her hand up to touch it and comes away with blood, a lot of blood. She needs to find something to heal her up quick or she's going to be passing out from blood loss sometime soon before she completes her mission.

Her eyes move to a corner of the temple near a slightly stagnant pool of water and she silently gives thanks to the Earth Mother. There in the corner is a plant that could potentially save her life. It is moonbane, a healing plant that usually only grows around holy places. It is severely depleted now in these areas ever since the taint of the demons moved in and took over. Yume's people have been using this to heal themselves for far more than a millennium, ever since they learned about the medicinal purposes of plants.

Quickly she moves to the corner of the temple and picks some of the leaves and two petals from the plant. The leaves would help her skin heal and the petals would help banish any infection from her body. She chews up and swallows the petals and applies the leaves to her wounds by licking them, activating the sticky adhesive in the leaves, and pressing them on her wounds. She pulls out two strips of cloth from one of the four pockets on her pants and ties them securely around the wounds. She takes out a small pouch from the pocket on her left thigh and picks more of the leaves and petals to store away for a later purpose should she need them.

Getting up slowly so as her wounds would not fester, she moves on to the back of the temple and comes to an old wooden door that looks rotten and ready to give out any second. Carefully, she pushes it open, the creaking of its hinges echoing through the silence of the temple making her wince. Yume squeezes through the small opening she could make and walks carefully into the room, not sure if there would be any nasty surprises. The small alter room is severely dilapidated now, silver cobwebs clinging to the high corners and the plain, grey stone alter. The window in the back wall now only a gaping hole where beautiful stained glass used to be.

She maneuvers herself around to the back of the alter and looks around. She knows the portal is around here somewhere, she just doesn't know where. Her toe hits the edge of a tattered rug causing her to look down. She crouches down and pulls the rug back to reveal a large, gaping hole in the floor. Faintly she can see a small amount of light at the bottom. _This must be it._ She thinks and takes a large breath for bravery, prays to the Earth Mother, and jumps down the hole.


End file.
